Valentine’s Day is a day to celebrate how committed you
are to your partner.

Unfortunately, if your partner is young, easily
distracted, or even adequately sexually satisfied, they could
be more likely to cheat on you.

New research from Florida State University has
highlighted some of the main predictors that your partner will
stray.

Keeping your partner happy in bed is one of them,
because if someone enjoys sex, they might be more likely to go
looking for more of it.

If you want a relationship to work out, there are a few early signs you can look out
for. Thanks to new research from Florida State University,
there are also some new predictors that a relationship will fail.

In particular, the researchers tested psychological processes
called “attentional disengagement” and “evaluation devaluation,”
while showing subjects photos of a mixture of highly attractive
and average-looking men and women.

These processes are the ability to direct attention away from
someone who is particularly good-looking, and the tendency to
trick yourself into thinking someone is less good-looking than
they are, respectively — both of which are common ways people in
committed relationships stop themselves being distracted and
tempted by other options.

Unsurprisingly, those who took less time to look away from the
photos were less likely to cheat on their partner. Those who took
longer to direct their attention away were more likely to.

“People are not necessarily aware of what they’re doing or why
they’re doing it,” said Jim McNulty, a psychology professor from
FSU and the lead author of the study. “These processes are
largely spontaneous and effortless, and they may be somewhat
shaped by biology and/or early childhood experiences.”

Other strong indicators someone would cheat in the future were
someone’s age, as younger people were more likely to stray, and
their sexual history. Men who’d had more short-term sexual
partners were more likely to have an affair, and the opposite was
true for women.

Also, people who said they were satisfied with their sexual
relationship were more likely to cheat. The researchers say this
could be a result of people enjoying sex, and seeking out more of
it regardless of how they felt about their current relationship.

The research team hope the results of the study could help
professionals offer advice for people in how to stay committed to
their partners. And, as social media results in more people
connecting to each other, they say understanding how people avoid
temptation could be more relevant than ever.